Improvement in car-couplings



N. S. WHITE.

Car Coupi'mg.

No. 44,571. I Patented Oct. 4, 1864.

e e I v inventor Wutnesses: n

AM. PHOTO-L ITNO. C0. N.Y. (OSEURNES PRDCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

N. S. WHITE, OF PORT CHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND RICHARD VAUGHN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 14,57 l, dated October 4,1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, N. S. WHITE, of Port Chester, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Car-Coupling and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of my invention, taken in the line A B, Fig. 2 Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the line C D, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved car-coupling of that class which are commonly termed self-coupling and it consists in the employment or use of a verticalsliding stop, arranged with springs and a cam, in connection with a pin fitted on a shaft or axis provided with two arms, all being arranged within or applied to a draw-head, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby a very simple and efficient car-conplin g of the kind specified is obtained.

A represents the draw-head of a railroad-car, which may be applied or attached to the car in the usual or any proper way; and B is a shaft fitted transversely and horizontally in the lower part of the draw'head, and having placed loosely upon it a hub, a, which is provided with three radial arms, 0 D E, all of which are shown in Fig. 1. In the bottom of the drawhead there is made longitudinally a slot, 1), to admit of the free turning of the arms 0 l) E.

F represents a sliding stop, which works vertically through a hole in the top of the draw-head A, and it is attached at its upper end to a cross-bar, G, the ends of which are provided with pendent rods 0 c, the latter pass in g one through each side of the draw-head, and having each a spiral spring, (1, upon them, the upper ends of said spring bearing against the under side of the drawhead, and their lower ends bearin g against pins 6, which pass transversely through the rods 0. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) These springs d d have a tendency to keep the stop F drawn down within the draw-head.

H represents a link or shackle, which may be constructed in the same way as those in general use with the common couplings.

The arm D serves the purpose of the ordinary coupling-pin as it passes through the link or shackle H, while the stop F serves as a bearing for the arm D, thereby causing the latter to resist the draft or pull on the link or shackle. (See Fig. 1.)

From the above description it will be seen that in order to release the link or shackle H the stop F must be raised, and this is effected by means of a cam, I, which is of double formthat is to say, two cams made one at each end of the two prongs of a forked lever, J, which straddles the cross-bar G and is secured thereto by a fulcrum-pin, 6. When the lever J is turned or adjusted to an upright position, as shown in Fig. 3, the stop F will be raised free from the arm or pin 1), and the link or shackle may be drawn out of the draw-head, the arm or pin D being drawn down nearly to a horizontal position, with its outer end bearing on the front edge of the slot b, while the arm 0 will bear against the rear side of the stop F when the latter is let down, as shown in red in Fig. 1, the arm E serving as a weight or counterpoise. When the parts are in this position and the link or shackle forced into the draw-head, the former comes in contact with the arm 0, which is consequently forced back, and the arm or pin D pressed against the lower end of the stop F, and as the ends of the pin and stop are both beveled, as shown at f, the arm or pin D will be forced behind the stop F, the latter being raised under the action of arm 0, and dropping through the link or shackle when G has passed F. Thus I obtain a coupling which is selfadjusting, and which will admit of the link or shackle being readily released or disconnected without a person passing between the cars.

The interior of the draw-head is made of flaring form, to admit of a requisite lateral play of the link or shackle, and at the upper side of the interior of the draw head there is a projection, g, which serves to deflect or throw down the end of the link or shackle against a the shaft B said parts bein g applied to adrawshoulder, h, the latter serving as a stop for head, A, and all arranged to operate in the the link or shackle. manner substantially as and for the purpose I claim as new and desire to secure by Letherein set forth. ters Patent- N. S. WHITE. The sliding stop F, arranged with springs 01 Witnesses and a cam, I, in connection with the arms 0 J. HENRY GILBERT, D E, attached to a hub, a, placed loosely on JOHN E. MARSHALL. 

